Tag Archives: Thallasaemia Victim

Good morning friends. It seems for me that if you donate blood for others, it is so holy in the eyes of God. It’s like we are giving life or adding life to someone who needs a blood. With this kind of doings, many will benefit with that. So I’m calling to many that we donate blood for the life of others.

For years, apnu Amdavad has shown how big its heart is, as it remained on top in the country, clocking the highest blood donor to population ratio. Now, this philanthropic heart has a mascot — Sherdil — that will help carry forward the city’s spirit of giving.

On June 14, World Blood Donors’ Day, Sherdil will be unveiled in a bid to exhort people to donate more blood.

Statistics show Ahmedabad has the highest blood donor to population ratio (BDPR) in India, at 3.5 per cent. Globally, this ratio comes behind averages of only four countries — US, Switzerland, Japan and Germany. “The lion not only symbolizes Gujarati pride but also Amdavadi philanthropy. When we talk of a generous person, we call him lion-hearted. From this thought emerged Sherdil. And, he comes with an appeal: Yeh Sherdil manage more,” says Mukesh Patel, president of Ahmedabad Red Cross Society and a centurion blood donor himself.

It is only in Ahmedabad that events like weddings and birthdays and even death anniversaries are often marked by blood donation.

The city has a centurion blood donors’ club, a women’s blood donors’ club and one by physically disabled.

With 1.58 lakh donors annually, the city sees one donation every three minutes. It also has a record number of 58 centurion blood donors.

But, it’s not just about statistics. For Meera Naik, 25, a thallasaemia major patient, who needs one bottle of blood every fortnight since she was just three, it has meant a steady supply through the Red Cross. “I owe my life to the generosity of the city,” says Meera.

Nagendra Purohit, father of Maitreyi, 18, another thallasaemia victim, who needs three bottles of blood a month, says, “I have never had a problem getting blood for my daughter whenever she needed it.” – The Times of India